2011 HM{sub 102}: DISCOVERY OF A HIGH-INCLINATION L5 NEPTUNE TROJAN IN THE SEARCH FOR A POST-PLUTO NEW HORIZONS TARGET

Journal Article · Mon Apr 15 00:00:00 EDT 2013 · Astronomical Journal (New York, N.Y. Online)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-6256/145/4/96· OSTI ID:22130814

Parker, Alex H.; Holman, Matthew J.; McLeod, Brian A. ^[1]; Buie, Marc W.; Borncamp, David M.; Spencer, John R.; Stern, S. Alan ^[2]; Osip, David J. ^[3]; Gwyn, Stephen D. J.; Fabbro, Sebastian; Kavelaars, J. J. ^[4]; Benecchi, Susan D.; Sheppard, Scott S. ^[5]; Binzel, Richard P.; DeMeo, Francesca E. ^[6]; Fuentes, Cesar I.; Trilling, David E. ^[7]; Gay, Pamela L. ^[8]; Petit, Jean-Marc ^[9]; others, and

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1. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)
2. Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238 (United States)
3. Carnegie Observatories, Las Campanas Observatory, Casilla 601, La Serena (Chile)
4. Canadian Astronomy Data Centre, National Research Council of Canada, 5071 W. Saanich Road, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7 (Canada)
5. Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institute of Washington, 5251 Broad Branch Road NW, Washington, DC 20015 (United States)
6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States)
7. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northern Arizona University, S San Francisco St, Flagstaff, AZ 86011 (United States)
8. Center for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Research, Education, and Outreach, Southern Illinois University, 1220 Lincoln Dr, Carbondale, IL 62901 (United States)
9. CNRS, UTINAM, Universite de Franche Comte, Route de Gray, F-25030 Besancon Cedex, (France)

We present the discovery of a long-term stable L5 (trailing) Neptune Trojan in data acquired to search for candidate trans-Neptunian objects for the New Horizons spacecraft to fly by during an extended post-Pluto mission. This Neptune Trojan, 2011 HM{sub 102}, has the highest inclination (29. Degree-Sign 4) of any known member of this population. It is intrinsically brighter than any single L5 Jupiter Trojan at H{sub V} {approx} 8.18. We have determined its gri colors (a first for any L5 Neptune Trojan), which we find to be similar to the moderately red colors of the L4 Neptune Trojans, suggesting similar surface properties for members of both Trojan clouds. We also present colors derived from archival data for two L4 Neptune Trojans (2006 RJ{sub 103} and 2007 VL{sub 305}), better refining the overall color distribution of the population. In this document we describe the discovery circumstances, our physical characterization of 2011 HM{sub 102}, and this object's implications for the Neptune Trojan population overall. Finally, we discuss the prospects for detecting 2011 HM{sub 102} from the New Horizons spacecraft during its close approach in mid- to late-2013.

• OSTI ID: 22130814
• Journal Information: Astronomical Journal (New York, N.Y. Online), Vol. 145, Issue 4; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1538-3881
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
ASTEROIDS
COLOR
DISTRIBUTION
INCLINATION
JUPITER PLANET
NEPTUNE PLANET
PLUTO PLANET
SURFACE PROPERTIES